Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has entered into an agreement to acquire 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Boeing. This order is DAE's first direct aircraft order and first direct 737 MAX purchase from Boeing. However, in the third quarter of 2020, DAE signed an agreement with American Airlines to deliver 18 737 MAX 8 aircraft via a sale-leaseback transaction. Since the agreement, the lessor has delivered 17 of the aircraft to the US carrier.
Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE, said: "We are delighted to deepen our already strong relationship with Boeing. Including this order, we own and manage 162 Boeing aircraft. An increasing number of global aviation regulators are returning the MAX to the skies. We are confident in the success of these aircraft as domestic and regional air travel is seeing strong signs of recovery."
DAE currently has 162 Boeing aircraft in its fleet.
“DAE has been instrumental in helping its customers realize the operating economics and environmental performance of the 737-8. We are delighted that they have come back to add more 737 aircraft to its growth plan as it positions itself for the recovery in commercial passenger traffic,” said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. “We are honored by DAE’s trust in the 737 family and we look forward to partnering with them to serve the fleet requirements of airlines around the world.”
The order will appear on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website once finalized.
The order is valued at approximately US$1.8 billion at list prices, however Boeing is alleged to granting deep discounts on the MAX aircraft family to assist with its return to service.